The Gospel of Mark

I’m reading the Gospel of Mark. I love the differences in the Gospels – Matthew’s focus on Jesus as the prophesied Messiah; Luke’s “orderly account” and the compassion seen for the less fortunate; John’s stories and the sense that he truly loved Jesus – I love all of these aspects of the Gospels, but there is always something that draws me to the simplicity of Mark who reveals Jesus. (Side note – I would really really like some Indiana Jones archaeologist to find the Gospel Q (Quelle) I would love to read that).
Mark 1:1-15 – What about Christmas?
No birth story – even John references Jesus’ birth (“and the word became flesh and dwelt among us…”). Mark has an opening line telling us what this is about and jumps in with John the Baptizer who is gathering quite an audience in the Judean countryside. Then Jesus shows up from Nazareth, gets baptized by John, God speaks, Jesus goes to the wilderness for forty days and after John was arrested Jesus came to Galilee.
Why is there no birth story – isn’t it important? I think it is important, but it isn’t Mark’s point. Mark chooses not to start off with censuses, stables, shepherds, angels and Christmas carols, not because they are not important, but because he wants us to see the story of Jesus begin with Jesus’ main goal:
“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel (good news).’” Mark 1-14-15.
The Kingdom of God is at hand – that’s the point, that is where Mark wants to start, the first thing he wants to reveal about Jesus.